Undergraduate Major in Educational Sciences

Note: Currently enrolled Berkeley students interested in the Educational Sciences major are invited to attend an Information Session on the major. Information sessions held during the summer are by appointment only. Send an email to bse-ugrad@berkeley.edu to scheduled an appointment. If you are not yet enrolled at Berkeley, please wait to attend an information session until you are enrolled in your first semester.

Major Course Requirements

To complete the major requirements, students must take 13 total courses. Eleven of those courses are in four domains (Teaching and Learning; Educational Contexts in a Global World; Education and Social Transformation; and Educational Research and Practice). Within these areas, students are able to choose among a subset of courses, as listed below. Two of the courses will be of upper-division elective coursework, either within the School of Education (including graduate level courses) or from a pre-approved list of electives outside of the School.

Grading Options and Required Grades

All courses counting towards the Major must be taken for a letter grade
All courses counting towards the Major must receive a C- or greater
No more than two overlapping upper divison courses may be used for the Major
Overall GPA must be at or above 2.0 for graduation

Teaching and Learning

Required (select two):

EDUC 130: Knowing and Learning in Math and Science (3)

EDUC 140AC / *EDUC W140A: The Art of Making Meaning: Educational Perspectives on Literacy and Learning in a Global World (4)

Select one:

EDUC 114A: Early development and Education (4)

EDUC 132: Language Learning in Chicanx/Latinx Communities (4)

EDUC 166: Will STEM Save US? The Promises and Perils of STEM Education (3)

EDUC 170: Teaching and Learning Data/Computational Science (3)

Educational Contexts in a Global World

Select three:

EDUC 40AC: From Macro to Micro: Experiencing Education (In)equality in and Beyond Schools (3)

*EDUC 141: Exploring Digital Pedagogy (3)

*EDUC 142: Education in a Global World (4)

EDUC 154: Language in/and the World (3)

*EDUC 161: Digital Learning Environments (3)

*EDUC 165: Early Learning Environments for Diverse Learners (4)

EDUC 167: Higher Education Policy (3)

Education and Social Transformation

Select three:

EDUC 155AC: Asian American Struggles and Collective Learning for Racial Justice (4)

EDUC 163: Contemporary Issues in US Education (3)

EDUC C181: Race, Identity, and Culture in Urban Schools (3)

EDUC 182AC: The Politics of Educational Inequality (4)

EDUC 188: Language, Race and Power in Education (3)

*EDUC 190AC/ EDUC W190A: Critical Studies in Education (4)

EDUC W190: Critical Studies in Education (3)

Educational Fieldwork, Research, and Project Capstone

Select one:

EDUC 122: Research Methods for Science and Mathematics K-12 Teachers (3)

*EDUC 153: Research in Education: Studying Educational Inequality and Possibility (4)

EDUC 168: Educational Testing in the USA: Issues and a Practical Experience (3)

Required capstone research/practicum course (Choose one):
Students should take the capstone their final semester.

*EDUC W144: Practicum in Education/Capstone project (3)

EDUC EDUC 187A: Teachers of Color In the United States (3) formerly EDUC 150.002

Please note: all Educational Sciences majors are expected to take EDUC W144 for 3 units in one term to fulfill the capstone requirement.

However, we recognize that some students have taken EDUC W144 for 1-2 units before the Major requirements were announced Summer 2024.

Students who took EDUCW144 Spring 2024 or prior for 1-2 units are permitted to count these units towards the Capstone requirement, and can repeat EDUC W144 for 1-2 units to reach the 3 unit requirement through Spring 2025.

All students taking EDUC W144 after Spring 2025 are expected to take EDUCW144 for the full 3 units to satisfy the Capstone requirement.

Two elective courses

Students must take an additional 6-8 units (two courses) of upper-division elective coursework, either within the School of Education (including graduate level courses, see the Academic Guide) or from a pre-approved list of electives outside of BSE, aligned with elective courses already approved for our undergraduate maojr and minor (see the Education approved course list).